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Berlin Jazz Clubs and Émile Parisien Quartet

With so much happening in Berlin deciding where to go and what to do gets complicated. Berlin’s jazz clubs are a perfect nighttime venue for me. The atmosphere is comfortable and friendly – the music fantastic! Most clubs are small and fill up fast, so the challenge is booking a space before performances sell out.

Gauthier Toux Trio Live at b-flat – Peter C Theis

Booking Jazz Performances

There are a few helpful local websites – Jazzity and Guide to the Jazzy Side of Berlin – but they don’t book your ticket for you… Jazz clubs don’t always take credit cards or have apps that allow you to book performances and download tickets on your phone.

Quasimodo – MyCityHighlight

If you can’t book in advance, the only choice is to show up and hope for the best. If you make a reservation but don’t arrive on time to pay – they sell your space.

Jazz Club A-Trane – Kauperts

Most evenings those with and without reservations line up outside popular Berlin jazz clubs. Box offices open 30 – 60 minutes before the performance begins.

A-Trane – internetpazar.de

I’ve visited these Berlin jazz clubs and describe them below:

A-Trane International Jazz Club

b-flat Acoustic Music + Jazz Club

Quasimodo

Junction Live Music Club

Prince at Quasimodo – Photographer Unknown

A-Trane International Jazz Club

A-Trane in Charlottenburg was founded in 1992. Performances begin at 9 pm and on Saturdays there’s a jam session “Jazz after Midnight”. Occasionally they have an earlier performance. The small club holds a max of 100 guests. It’s a popular JazzFest venue and my favorite club in Berlin!

Some artists who’ve appeared at A-Trane include Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, and others. The owner is “Turkish-born ex-graphic artist and basketball player” Sedal Sardan. In 2013 Sedal won the German ECHO music award for jazz promotion. He and his staff help with tickets.

b-flat Berlin Mitte

The club is named after John Coltrane (nicknamed “Trane”), “reminiscent of the unequaled Duke Ellington standard – Take the A Train :o)”!

I saw the Émile Parisien Quartet at A-Trane – a phenomenal performance which I’ll describe later in this post.

Architect Claudius Pratsch designed the club’s acoustics. B-flat is known for “diverse and lively” performances. Many well-known artists appear at the club, including Randy Brecker, Joe Sample, Harry Connick Jr., and Brad Mehldau.

Quasimodo

Quasimodo in Charlottenburg is one of the “oldest live music clubs on the Berlin cultural landscape”. In 1975 Genoese Giorgio Carioti took over the existing club, renamed it Quasimodo, and made it one of the most important live jazz clubs in Berlin.

Quasimodo – c Quasimodo GmbH

International stars like Branford Marsalis, Prince, and Chaka Khan have appeared at Quasimodo. The club is beneath the Delphi Film Palace and the Quasimodo Restaurant. It’s known as a “musical place of worship for quality jazz, blues, rock, Latin, soul, and funk”.

Giorgio Carioti Quasimodo – Foto Emilio Esbardo

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At Quasimodo, “fans from all over the world meet like old friends in a cozy ambiance somewhere between tradition and modernity, united by the music.”

Last night I saw the Émile Parisien Quartet perform at A-Trane. It was incredible!!! The performance at 9 pm was fully booked, but they had an earlier session, and I was able to get a reservation. What’s even better, I was invited to take a closer seat only a few feet from the musicians! Watching them perform was as exciting as listening to their music.

French saxophonist and composer Émile Parisien is a phenomenon who “lives every moment of his music and makes it dance”. His talented quartet includes:

“The reference points on Parisien’s personal musical map are wide. They range from France’s popular folk traditions to the compositional rigour of contemporary classical music and abstract free jazz.”

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Emile Parisien Quartet – c ACT Sylvaim Gripoix

The group captured the audience completely and held their attention every minute. A-Trane is a relaxed environment and the animated movements and humor of the musicians were a treat. They played outstanding original compositions written by Parisien and other members of the quartet. It’s clear they’re professionals who love their music deeply and perform from the heart.

Emile Parisien Quartet – c ACT Sylvaim Gripoix

The group just released a new CD – Double Screening – and were signing copies at the club. I’ll return for more A-Trane performances, but none like the Émile Parisien Quartet!